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Awhile back, I hosted a “Role Models” contest/giveaway. The winner, by a landslide, was Richard. He was nominated by his friend (and the mother of one of the grooms whose wedding I photographed this summer), Annette Kramer. She had this to say about Richard:

“To know Richard is to love him. Upon meeting him you would assume he doesn’t have a care in the world. You would have no idea that he often stays with friends for extended periods of time because his home is in a crime-ridden section of town, where drug deals are happening all around. He lost his mom this spring and relies on the generosity of others for his needs – he never asks for anything! He makes so many people smile – I would love to be able to share his smile with others through this portrait session.”

I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Richard. It was not difficult at all to understand why he was nominated — and why he won. When Annette said that he makes people smile, what she really means is that he makes you laugh. And laugh. And laugh. And I didn’t get the sense that it was simply for my benefit — or simply a coping mechanism, like one might expect from a young man who has faced real tragedy. I think that Richard simply presents his true self to the world. It’s up to the rest of us to see him. I think this is true of so most teenagers, in fact — which is one of the many reasons that I enjoy photographing them.

From downtown Springfield to one of Richard’s favorite basketball courts on the East side, we froze our butts off. Nonetheless, I think we succeeded in creating an array of fun, honest, and interesting images. Here are a few of his favorites, as well as mine.

People call me cbusch.
I’m a captain of the cheerleading squad at shg and I <3 it.
I’m the next nicki minaj.
I’ve eaten a cake from the cake boss.
People think I’m shy but I’m outrageously crazy.
I was blonde as a child.
I read at night and rarely sleep.
I couldn’t live with out my best friends.
I have all too many purses.
I can walk in heels like most people can walk in flip flops.

I love country music more than any other genre of music.
I want to pursue a career in Athletic Training.
I want to go to college somewhere in the South.
I am a huge St. Louis Cardinals fan, and baseball is my favorite sport.
I am obsessed with the books and TV series, Pretty Little Liars (the books are way better).
I love my friends and family more than anything.
Siesta Key, Florida is my favorite place to be.
I am going to host a German student for 4 weeks in the fall, and next summer I will live with her for 5 weeks
I sleep with a bear every night. His name is McArther and I’ve had him forever.
I believe everything happens for a reason.

I am obsessed with the Harry Potter book series and movies.
My favorite color is forest green.
I can quote the entire Mean Girls movie by heart.
I could live in forever21 my whole life.
I have a big brother who could pass as my identical twin.
I am in love with the 90’s music, especially the boy bands.
I am very free-spirited and a go-with-the-flow type of person.
My favorite season is winter because of the snow and Christmas lights.
I want to travel through Europe by the time I’m 30!